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Justice

What Can White People Do For Racial Healing?

Cynthia Barnes-Slater | Jun 13, 2020

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Cynthia Barnes-Slater | Jun 13, 2020

The views expressed in our content reflect individual perspectives and do not represent the official views of the Baha'i Faith.

Unique in the annals of religious theology, the teachings of the Baha’i Faith contain specific instructions to Americans of African and white descent about the actions necessary to heal the racial divisions dividing our country.

Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, in his seminal 1938 letter to the American Baha’i community titled The Advent of Divine Justice, wrote that eliminating racial prejudice is “the most vital and challenging issue” facing the community and declared that:

… to discriminate against any race, on the ground of its being socially backward, politically immature, and numerically in a minority, is a flagrant violation of the spirit that animates the Faith of Baha’u’llah. – pp. 28-29.

Despite significant advances, the racial situation in the United States is, in 2020, on the brink of disaster.

Nearly eighty years after The Advent of Divine Justice letter was sent, the generality of white people in the U.S. have failed to apply the ceaseless exertions and sacrifices, the care and vigilance the issue of racial prejudice demands. While both whites and people of African descent have roles and responsibilities in eliminating racial prejudice, it is time for white people to fearlessly focus their attention and efforts towards Shoghi Effendi’s exhortation to:

… abandon once and for all their usually inherent and at times subconscious sense of superiority, to correct their tendency towards revealing a patronizing attitude … – Ibid.

towards people of African descent. The current state of affairs is untenable, and is contributing to the instability of the entire planet:

And among the teachings of Baha’u’llah is that religious, racial, political, economic and patriotic prejudices destroy the edifice of humanity. As long as these prejudices prevail, the world of humanity will not have rest. For a period of 6,000 years history informs us about the world of humanity. During these 6,000 years the world of humanity has not been free from war, strife, murder and bloodthirstiness. In every period war has been waged in one country or another and that war was due to either religious prejudice, racial prejudice, political prejudice or patriotic prejudice. It has therefore been ascertained and proved that all prejudices are destructive of the human edifice. – Abdu’l Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha

The 1992 document from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States, called “The Vision of Race Unity” provides critical guidance for anyone who wishes to learn more about what Baha’is believe, think and are doing to create racial unity in American communities. Yet, collective, systematic and sustained efforts towards racial healing and race unity have not matched the continuing deterioration of race relations in the U.S. The teachings of Baha’u’llah assert the essential unity of humanity, the divine nature of the human soul, and the diversity of the human family. The Baha’i Faith, with no clergy, promotes the principle of individual initiative, which follows Baha’u’llah’s divine instruction to “Let deeds, not words, be your adorning.”The Hidden Words. As a statement of faith in God, our actions to promote racial healing and unity are fundamental.

With racial tension, violence and institutionalized discrimination in the U.S. increasing daily, I often wonder: what does racial healing mean for white people and what role do people of African descent play in that healing? Mrs. Phyllis Unterscheutz, a white woman, gave a talk recently about the book she and her husband Gene wrote called Longing: Stories of Racial Healing at the Welcome Center of the Baha’i House of Worship in Wilmette, Illinois. She also spoke about her work with Tod Ewing in their “Race Story Rewrite Project” organization, which facilitates spaces for racial healing, dialogue about race and race unity, and action plans.

In response to a question about whether her talk was for black or white people, Mrs. Unterschuetz responded that in her view, her talk was aimed primarily at white people, to encourage them to focus on what Shoghi Effendi called a “subconscious, inherent sense of superiority:”

Let the white make a supreme effort in their resolve to contribute their share to the solution of this problem, to abandon once for all their usually inherent and at times subconscious sense of superiority, to correct their tendency towards revealing a patronizing attitude towards the members of the other race … – Shoghi Effendi, The Advent of Divine Justice

That subconscious, inherent sense of superiority, engendered from birth to adulthood in white American society through family of origin, education, housing, media, and public and private institutions dating from the inception of this country, has existed from the time of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the Civil War, Jim Crow and segregation, the Civil Rights movement and into the present day.

Shoghi Effendi also challenged people of African descent, correspondingly, with the effort to:

… show by every means in their power the warmth of their response, their readiness to forget the past, and their ability to wipe out every trace of suspicion that may still linger in their hearts and minds. – Ibid.

The Advent of Divine Justice urges white people who are persuading people of African descent of their sincerity to eliminate racial prejudice through “intimate, spontaneous and informal association” with them. – Ibid.

As I reflect on Mrs. Underschuetz’s comments and Shoghi Effendi’s letter—now published in book form—I recognize more fully that both white people and people of African descent have specific tasks to eliminate racial prejudice and discrimination. White people in particular have an essential and inescapable part to play in eliminating racial prejudice. Abdu’l-Baha underscored such a direct focus and articulation of the necessity of the Baha’i teachings in achieving race unity:

This opposition, enmity and prejudice among the white race and the colored cannot be effaced except through faith, assurance and the teachings of [Baha’u’llah]. – Ibid.

Everyone, whether Baha’i or not, has the capacity and ability to study the teachings of the Faith. Reading and studying the writings of Baha’u’llah requires an open heart and mind, and a willingness to carefully examine all preconceived notions, biases and assumptions, ideas developed from childhood to adulthood. The Baha’i Faith is a religion that encourages examination of unconscious “truths” about race—the stories your parents told you about people of a different race, what you learned from watching TV or being in school. If you grew up with no contact with people of African descent, the Baha’i Faith creates the opportunity for you to fully educate yourself about the history of people of African descent from their perspective, experience and background. In the Baha’i Faith, the principle of the independent investigation of truth is a fundamental characteristic of being human, and one of the primary Baha’i principles:

The first is the independent investigation of truth; for blind imitation of the past will stunt the mind. But once every soul inquireth into truth, society will be freed from the darkness of continually repeating the past. – Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha

The Baha’i writings state that each human being should “… bring thyself to account each day …” – Baha’u’llah, The Hidden Words, p. 11. This practice gives us the daily opportunity to examine if our individual thoughts, views and actions are advancing racial healing and social justice in our communities. Each of us can look at our own biases and preconceptions about what we think other people are, or are not. That is the hard work of building true unity within the human family on this planet.

By committing to acts of selfless service, in associating with the diverse members of the Baha’i community, the divisions of racial prejudice can be eliminated to create unity as “the fingers of one hand” as Baha’u’llah wrote:

Beware lest the desires of the flesh and a corrupt inclination provoke divisions among you. Be ye as the fingers of one hand, the members of one body. – Baha’u’llah, The Most Holy Book

It is not easy to build racial healing and unity, heart by heart, within the current, divisive American society. There is much fear, distrust, and suspicion among those, such as myself, who have endured what the Guardian called “grievous, slow healing wounds” due to systemic, generational racism. But the Baha’i Faith teaches that every human being has the capacity to be in a constant humble posture of learning—learning alongside each other to live peacefully in ways that are (hopefully) self-initiated, self-driven and continually infused with prayer and meditation.

While attempting to engage in racial healing dialogue with white people, I have endured (and stayed silent) being pre-judged, criticized, ignored, disrespected or insulted. I have heard white people who, in ignorance, say “I don’t see color,” “I’m colorblind,” or “I’m not racist.” White people may get nervous and defensive when directly challenged by people of African descent on their ignorant assumptions about race, and people who also may complain that such dialogue is an impediment to building unity, the Guardian has stated that:

… a tremendous effort is required by both races if their outlook, their manners, and conduct are to reflect, in this darkened age, the spirit and teachings of the Faith of Baha’u’llah. – The Advent of Divine Justice

Failure to make that “tremendous effort” to recognize and address the privileges and advantages of being white in contemporary American society—which include freedom of movement, association, and access  to society’s benefits—can inhibit eliminating racial prejudice. As my grandmother used to say, “sometimes you have to tell the truth and shame the devil.” When I hear white people speak poetically about the Southern United States, discussing bucolic images of landscapes, flora and fauna and “salt of the earth” personas, I want to share my family’s stories of escaping the Deep South, with its domestic terrorism and unrelenting racial oppression that influenced Billie Holiday’s song “Strange Fruit” about lynching in those same landscapes. At those times, true racial healing  in America seems sometimes unattainable. There are different histories and stories to be told, to be listened to and understood, to be unpacked and analyzed in the light of history, in the light of being part of a diverse human family, with one divine Creator.

So while I read the Baha’i writings, as well as historical and contemporary writers on race and social justice, I also listen and engage with my fellow Baha’is and others who want to build communities upon the principle of the oneness of humanity. Now is the time to be patient and to fearlessly persevere with white people’s uneven efforts to understand and examine unconscious racial bias. It’s time for white racial healing: to challenge the attitudes and the behavior of white friends, families and communities.

People of white and African descent have urgent, inescapable work to do to heal the “corrosion” that racial prejudice has created in every aspect of American society:

… racial prejudice, the corrosion of which…has bitten into the fiber, and attacked the whole social structure of American society. …

The ceaseless exertions which this issue of paramount importance calls for, the sacrifices it must impose, the care and vigilance it demands, the moral courage and fortitude it requires, the tact and sympathy it necessitates, invest this problem … still far from … satisfactorily resolved, with an urgency and importance that cannot be overestimated. – Ibid.

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Comments

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  • Mike Oshea
    Jun 20, 2020
    -
    Regarding the independent investigation of truth; Can one adhere to this principle if ones assessment of a person, place or thing is fueled by anger, hate, fear rage or resentment?
  • Britt Mitchell
    Jun 17, 2020
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    Thank you so much for this excellent article, Cynthia. Thank you for your patience with us and for your courage in speaking the truth. We are waking up to the realities of racism, and we are committed to doing our part to wake our brothers and sisters. We will work to make our Baha'i and wider communities safer spaces for our Black brothers and sisters. We know that this has been a long time coming. Thank you for inspiring us with spiritual and material tools to use in this work.
    • Drew Whittle
      Jun 18, 2020
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      What are you guilty of? What have you done?
  • Mike Oshea
    Jun 15, 2020
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    As stated: "White people in particular have an essential and inescapable part to play in eliminating racial prejudice." Question: Why would descendants of African American slaves not share an equal responsiblity in such an endeavor? If the onerous falls on those of light skin would that not put them in a position of power?
  • Mark Jolly
    Jun 14, 2020
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    This is one of the most incisive and illuminating essays I've read here - and I've read a lot of them. Thank you so much Cynthia.
  • Christopher Buck
    Jun 13, 2020
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    Excellent article! In ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s Howard University speech on April 23, 1912, His message to the whites was to be “loving,” “to promote” the “advancement” and to “enhance” the “honor” of African Americans: “You must try to create love between yourselves; and this love does not come about unless you are grateful to the whites, and the whites are loving toward you, and endeavor to promote your advancement and enhance your honor. … Differences between black and white will be completely obliterated … .” ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s message to the whites is the focus of this paper: “‘Abdu’l-Baha’s 1912 Howard University Speech: A ...Civil War Myth for Interracial Emancipation” (2013). He elsewhere encouraged whites and blacks to promote “mutual advancement.”
    Read more...
  • Jan Conitz
    Jun 13, 2020
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    Ms. Cynthia Barnes-Slater, I so appreciate the insights and honesty in your posts. Thank you and please keep writing!
  • Margaret Gusdal
    Feb 18, 2020
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    Well stated. We all see color. Enjoying the beautiful diversity is to be enjoyed. The historical treatment of other races in the US is tragic. What is still going on is not o.k. I pray for us to treat each other with respect and compassion. It is not just an issue of race. We must change attitudes or we will not have the peace we are supposed to have.
  • Kent Mitchell
    Nov 15, 2018
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    I appreciate your thoughts on this and agree. But it's rather foggy too me what the doing of healing looks like? I envision advocating for policy changes that limit gentrification, personal interactions as opportunity presents (there's an abundance of that) but beyond that I'd welcome more specific suggestions?
    • Robert Green
      Nov 25, 2018
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      "While attempting to engage in racial healing dialogue with white people, I have endured (and stayed silent) being pre-judged, criticized, ignored, disrespected or insulted. I have heard white people who, in ignorance, say “I don’t see color,” “I’m colorblind,” or “I’m not racist.” White people may get nervous and defensive when directly challenged by people of African descent on their ignorant assumptions about race, and people who also may complain that such dialogue is an impediment to building unity;" don't do any of this...
    • Robert Green
      Nov 25, 2018
      -
      "While attempting to engage in racial healing dialogue with white people, I have endured (and stayed silent) being pre-judged, criticized, ignored, disrespected or insulted. I have heard white people who, in ignorance, say “I don’t see color,” “I’m colorblind,” or “I’m not racist.” White people may get nervous and defensive when directly challenged by people of African descent on their ignorant assumptions about race, and people who also may complain that such dialogue is an impediment to building unity" don't do any of this...
    • Robert Green
      Nov 25, 2018
      -
      "educate yourself about the history of people of African descent from their perspective, experience and background;" "apply the ceaseless exertions and sacrifices, the care and vigilance the issue of racial prejudice demands;" "facilitate spaces for racial healing, dialogue about race and race unity, and action plans;" "carefully examine all [your] preconceived notions, biases and assumptions, ideas developed from childhood to adulthood;" "bring thyself to account;" "commit to acts of selfless service, in association with the diverse members of the Baha’i community;" "be in a constant humble posture of learning—learning alongside each other to live peacefully;"
  • Nov 15, 2018
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    Thank you for this powerful essay. It is painful for me to contemplate such things, because as a white guy who abhors racism as well as all forms of hatred, I feel overwhelmed. White racists seem to hate white people who do not agree with them even worse than they hate people of color. I believe that the root cause for the resurgence of racism and jingoistic nationalism is that world society is in a state of overshoot of its resources. We are in denial and are reacting in prehuman manner, trying to exterminate the other to reduce population pressure. ...We have the knowledge to come into harmony with the Earth, but racism and every other kind of ism stand in the way.
    Read more...
  • Lin Poyer
    Nov 15, 2018
    -
    This is a wonderful essay. Thank you for writing it.
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